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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136362">A Force You Cannot Comprehend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dire_quail/pseuds/dire_quail'>dire_quail</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AI Flirting, And she is Learning by Flirting, Canon Compliant, F/F, Flirting, Flowers, Light Hope is Learning, Missing Scene, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 11:01:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>564</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dire_quail/pseuds/dire_quail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A follow-up to the flashback in 4x05 "Protocol" where Mara brings Light Hope flowers. </p>
<p>Mara finds Light Hope setting up a new sensor array. Banter ensues.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Light Hope/Mara (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Force You Cannot Comprehend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Light Hope! … What are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Mara.” Light Hope manifests in front of Mara, surprised and pleased. “You are early.”</p>
<p>“I brought you the data crystals you asked for.” Mara holds them up, and Light Hope maneuvers her physical form to stand obligingly aside as Mara slips past her projection, gingerly picking her way through the disassembled panels and spider-drones. “What's all this?” She asks again, gesturing at the ongoing work.</p>
<p>“I am attempting to augment my sensor arrays by adding olfactory data.”</p>
<p>Mara’s stopped, her hand holding the data crystals frozen, hovering over the repository. “You’re… trying to smell?”</p>
<p>“Yes. The flowers you brought me were… thoughtful. I was not able to appreciate them in their intended purpose, though they were aesthetically pleasing. It also occurred to me that it might benefit me as planetary facilitator if I was able to… experience the planet I’m facilitating.”</p>
<p>Mara is still for a moment, head tilted, expression neutral. Then, a corner of her mouth twitches. “You want to smell the flowers I brought you.”</p>
<p>“It would benefit me in my role as planetary facilitator. I could appreciate the data you are trying to share with me, as She-Ra.”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh.” A familiar look spreads over Mara’s face.</p>
<p>“It would benefit me in my role as planetary facilitator.” Light Hope does not know why she insists when Mara gets… <i>that</i> look. That slow, slightly smug look.</p>
<p>“Uh-<i>huh</i>.” Mara repeats. Light Hope braces herself for whatever comes next, but Mara simply moves on. “You do, though, don’t you? You’re able to identify compounds based on a tiny sample, that’s… basically smelling, isn’t it? I mean, we even call it “sniffing.’”</p>
<p>“I am far more sophisticated than your standard shipboard scanner.” The look on Mara’s face when she thinks Light Hope might actually be miffed is worth the brief venture into a stricter tone.</p>
<p>“Hope, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that I thought…”</p>
<p>Her target hooked, Light Hope moves on. “You are correct, however. I am able to view the chemical structure of things. But I do not… “smell.’”</p>
<p>Mara stands there for a moment, crystals still in hand, looking worried. Light Hope takes pity on her.</p>
<p>“You should see your face.” With the number of times Mara has said that to her, finally getting to say it back feels… symmetrical. Pleasing.</p>
<p>Mara startles, a brief look of exasperation and then relief as she realizes what Light Hope is doing. “<i>Hope.</i>” But she chuckles and drops the data crystals in the repository, shaking her head. “What have I done.”</p>
<p>Light Hope remembers the evenings Mara spent watching holonovels and searches her databanks for a phrase from them that seems suitable. “You have unleashed a force you cannot comprehend.”</p>
<p>Mara laughs out loud at that, warm and delighted. Hope sees a field of flowers stretching in every direction. “Well, then, we’d better get you set up.”</p>
<p>“What?” Mara is a fine technician, but Light Hope had no intention of making her do the work. She’d planned on showing her, certainly. Eventually. Once she worked out any inevitable unforeseen issues.</p>
<p>Mara looks over her shoulder, grinning. “You wanna give me an excuse to bring you flowers! Do you know how many different kinds of flowers there are on Etheria?”</p>
<p>“Approximately five million distinct species.” Mara makes no response. “That was a rhetorical question, wasn’t it.”</p>
<p>“You’re getting it.”</p>
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